Piano pedal-guard.



PATENTED JAN. 1G, 1906.

M. E. (LMENTS.

PIANO PEDAL GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1905.

31 vento/L @lame/fifa attorney Ma 13 qw wi Hwoaoo UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed July 29, 1905. Serial No. 271,817.

To @ZZ whom, t may concern;

Be it known that I, MARGARET E. CLEM- ENTs, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Eastman, in the county of Dodge and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Piano Pedal-Guards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a pedal-guard Vfor pianos, the invention having Vfor its object the production of a simple, cheap, and effective device to prevent mice and other vermin from gaining access to and injuring the delicate mechanism of the piano, the device being adapted when in use to inclose the pedalrods and close communication between the interior of the casing and the slots in the casing through which the pedals project and through which mice and other vermin normally find ready access.

Another object is to provide a guard which is reversible for use upon pianos in which the pedal-rods lie adjacent to or some distance inwardly from the vfront wall Vof the piano.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the front wall of a piano-casing, showing in plan the guard applied for use. This view shows the front slots in use for the passage of the pedal-rods, which in this case lie close to the front wall. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the guard detached with the door thrown partly open. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the reversible slot-closers.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the base por tion of the front wall of a piano-casing, and 2 the pedals, which project through and are movable in slots (not shown) in said wall and are connected upon the inner side thereof to the rods 3. In some constructions of pianos the rods 3 extend vertically in close relation to the wall 1 and in other constructions of pianos are arranged at a distance from said walls.

The guard comprises an oblong rectangular inclosing box or casing open at its inner side to it against the wall 1 and provided with end walls 4 and 5, a top wall 6, and a door 7. The body of the casing is also open at bottom and is designed -to rest upon the floor and is provided upon its end walls 4 and 5 with eyes 8 for the passage of fastenings to secure the same thereto. The rear wall of the casing is formed with a doorway or opening extending nearly the full length thereof, leaving short end walls 9 and 10. The door 7 is connected by hinges 11 with the short wall 9 and is provided at its free end with a hook or other suitable Afastening l2 to engage a cooperating keeper 13 in the wall 10, whereby the door may be held closed. The top 6 of the casing is formed with two sets of slots or openings 14 and 15, the former opening through its front edge and the latter through its rear edge, said openings being provided for the upward passage of the rods 3. The door 7 comprises a vertical body portion adapted to close the doorway proper in the rear wall of the casing and provided at its upper edge with a horizontal extension 16, adapted when the door is closed to partially close the openings 15, leaving only su'flicient space at the inner ends thereof for the passage of the pedal-rods.

Closing devices 17 are provided upon the top of the casing to close either set of slots 14 or 15. These closures are mounted at one end upon pivots 18, arranged between the pairs of slots and provided at the free ends thereof with pvoted catches 19 to engage the side walls of said slots and hold the doors in closed position. The arrangement of the closures is such that by swinging the same upon their pivots 1S they may be brought to overlie the openings 14, as shown in Fig. 2, or to overlie the openings 15, as shown in Fig. l.

In practice it is preferred to construct both the body and doors of the guard of an open or skeleton frame of stiff wire covered by lighter woven wire or some other suitable reticulated or mesh material, this construction providing a device which is light in weight and adapted to be conveniently and inexpensively manufactured.

In operation the guard is secured to the floor with the open front thereof bearing against and closed by the front wall 1 of the piano, the guard being disposed upon the inner side of the piano-frame and in rear of the pedals 2. `When the pedal-rods 3 are disposed in close relation to the wall 1, the closures 14 are swung rearwardly to close the openings 15, and the rods project upwardly through the openings 14, in which they are free to move under the action of the pedals. l/Vhen the rods are arranged a distance in rear of the wall 1, the closures 17 are swung to close the opening 14, and the door 7 is also IOO swung open to perrnit the guard to be adjusted to bring it into position for the passage of said rods through the opening 15, after which the door 7 is closed, the inner edge of the horizontal extension 16 of said door terminating a short distance in rear of the rods in order to avoid interference with the jfree movement thereof. The guard will thus 'form a cage lying in rear of the slots in the wall 1 to prevent mice or other vermin entering the piano-casing through said slots from passing any farther and gaining access to the delicate mechanism of the piano. As the rods 3 partially close the slots through which they pass and theother slots are closed by the closures 17, it will be apparent that the guard will be tightly elosed against passage of rodents and other small animals,

It will thus be seen that the invention provides a guard which is simple of construction, susceptible of being inexpensively manufactured, and which is effective 'for its intended purpose.

The device may be made in different sizes to suit pianos having two, three, or more pedals, and they also may be made of any material suitable for the purpose.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isg

1 A piano pedal-guard provided with front and rear sets of slots, and means for closing either set of slots.

2. A piano pedal-guard provided with sets of openings, and reversible closures for closing either set of openings.

3. A piano pedal-guard provided with openings for the passage of a pedal-rod located at dilerent distances from the iront wall of the piano, and a reversible closure lor closing either' opening.

4. A piano pedal-guard provided with an open front and a doorway in its rear, and formed in the front and rear edges o'll its top Wall with slots, a hinged door for closing said doorway, said door being provided with an extension to partly close the rear slots, and reversible closures for closing either the 'front or the rear slots at will.

5. A piano pedal-guard comprising an oblong rectangular casing formed of a wire Yframe having a body oi woven material, said casing being provided with an open Vliront side and having a doorway in its rear side, the top wall of the casing being provided in its front and rear edges with slots, a hinged door at the rear side adapted to close said doorway and provided with a projection to partially close the rear slots, and pivoted closures upon the top wall reversible to close either set of slots.

ln testimony whereof I aHiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARGARET E. CLEMENTS.

Witnesses LEwis EDWARDS, LEROY PHARE 

